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Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who oversees state election laws, said Governor Deval Patrick is legally required to choose either of those dates and notify town and city officials of his decision by early next week. Potential contenders include state Senator Scott Brown, a Wrentham Republican; former US attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Andrew Card, the former chief of staff for President George W. Bush; and Christopher Egan, a former ambassador and president of Carruth Capital, a commercial real estate firm.

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